The Broken
by Mason Tims
Summary: Set two years after The Last of Us. What happens when you're broken? Can you fix yourself, or does it fall to others? The masked man has hunted the hunters for years, since he was barely a teen, and knows nothing else. But when he helps a beautiful young girl from a peaceful city to the north, can he learn to be something else, something new? Or will he be destroyed by his past?
1. Chapter 1

The Last of Us: The Broken

Prologue

From above and far away, Jackson City looked like the night sky. The lanterns, electrical light bulbs, and flashlights made it look like a tree from one of the old holiday magazines. Even at this late hour, people flittered around like moths, going this way and that, changing shifts and going to bed. And of course, no one, in this safe little haven, knew that they were being watched.

He had chosen his spot well, a secluded little hide under a tree on a hill, surrounded by bushes. The wind blew through, causing the leaves momentarily cover up the city. He had been watching this town for awhile now, sitting up in his little hide away. All he did was watch, even though he could have killed any number of people before they had even located him. Waste of bullets, probably. These people didn't act like hunters, and he had seen no evidence to the contrary. Maybe they were different. Would be a nice change of pace.

He mentally noted it was almost time for the shift change on the south west tower. He always liked this part of the night. Part of it was the cool air, which was a relief from the hot summer sun. It wouldn't be long until fall was here, and then he might have to stop his spying and focus on more important things. Another thing that he enjoyed was the breeze. It felt like a cool hand roaming across his face, a sensation he remembered from another time, and caused a twinge of something. The crickets were another, as their siren song was often his lullaby.

But mostly, it was her.

She had the night shift, and she was the reason he was out here, in the darkness. He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to come and watch her. He realized how strange it was, but he couldn't help it. And he couldn't tell why.

He had been watching the camp since just before sundown, and knew plenty about their current situation. Their farms, while adequate, were not producing enough food for the amount of people in the city. If they didn't do something soon, they were going to have a real problem come winter. They'd figure it out though, he knew. People like them, they always figure out something.

He felt something start to crawl over his back, slow and serpent like. Guessing where its head was, he snapped his hand back and closed it around the snake's neck. Bringing it around, he saw that it was a rattler, its eyes regarding him with cold loathing. Not wasting any time, he quickly took out his knife and removed its head, throwing it as far away as he could manage, and stuffing the rest of the snake into his back pack for dinner later.

Looking back to the city, he saw that she had taken her position on the tower. He picked up is rifle and used the scope to see her more clearly. He saw her red hair, her cute face, the scar running diagonally across her right eyebrow. Her eyes were an emerald green, and they held something that he hadn't seen in awhile; laughter. She looked across the forest, looking for something. Then she searched the ridge, and her gaze stopped right on him. The eyes searched his, though she didn't know it. He couldn't move, as if he were in a trance. He no longer felt the dirt gathering on the underside of his coat, or the random flies that crawled on his exposed skin. They weren't there anymore, the girl and he. He couldn't see or feel anything aside from the eyes on him, seeing him without seeing him, and judging him without knowing they had done so.

Finally, the gaze moved from him, and he regained his faculties. Looking at the night sky, he cursed when he realized what time it was. He had a four hour walk back home, and he needed to get going if he was going to reach it before sunrise. After all, he had to work, and that particular job was better done at night. Taking one last look at the girl, he got up, backed out of his hide slowly, and started walking.

He wondered what her name was.

…

He got back about an hour before sunrise, plenty of time. As he walked in the door to the dusty and run down house, walked into the deteriorating dining room and placed his pack and rifle on the table. The table it's self seemed to have been the main course in a termite buffet, and looked to be on its last legs. Sitting down for a moment, he let his eyes rest, and nearly drifted off to sleep, which would have been the first time in a little over a week. Suddenly, though, he heard some muffled commotion from the basement. Sighing with weariness, he rose and walked down to the basement. The entire thing smelled of mildew and rot, and he knew he would have to leave soon. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, he reached to the left of the door and pulled out his mask. He looked at it for a time, remembering each scratch and gouge that had made the mask what it was now, a symbol that put fear into the hearts of the predatory. The metal was beaten and warped, but still strong. It would always be. Just like himself.

He put it on, feeling the cold steel chill his face from his nose down. He had an intense feeling of what could only be described as completeness. The mask was who he was, and he was the mask. There wasn't anyone else. The girl didn't matter now, and neither did the town to the north. There was only him and the man in the next room. How it should be.

Now that he looked presentable, he opened the door and saw his was a man, middle aged, bald, white. He was bleeding from a cut on the top of his head, which formed streaks down the left side of his head and down his neck, into his shirt. His eyes looked at him in disdain and, if he wasn't tied down to a chair and gagged with duct tape, he would have killed his captor.

As he walked through the door, he sat down in front of his "guest" and regarded him for a moment. He saw the hate, and even more present fear, in the man's eyes, and the man saw the emotionless stare he directed at him. Reaching over, he ripped the tape from the man's mouth, making sure to do it as hard and as painfully as he could.

"Now then," He said, staring at the prisoner, his face as expressionless. "You're going to tell me everything you know about the camp to the north."

"Fuck You!" The man spat. "When I get out of here, I'm gonna fuckin' rip your fuckin' throat out!"

He continued to sit there, his eyes giving away nothing. Finally, he took out a long and wicked looking knife. The prisoner tasted fear for the first time, and expected the knife to go into his throat. He was surprised, then, to find that it went to his pant leg, just above his knee.

The masked man watched him for a moment, as a snake would a mouse. He was judging the man's reaction and fortitude, to determine how much of the following unpleasantness was going to be necessary. He judged that a few moments of something unexpected would be enough, and began to cut his pant off above the knee.

"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" The prisoner asked, more anger than fear in his voice now. He tried to move his leg, but it was tied down as well. the man continued cutting the fabric in silence, until eventually it was complete and it slid down to his ankles, exposing a hairy leg.

"You aren't afraid enough." The masked man said, twirling the knife in his hands. It was almost hypnotic, the way the blade danced in circles, never cutting his hand once. All at once he stopped and plunged the knife down into the man's knee, ripping the cartilage and ligaments apart.

"You will be, though."


	2. Chapter 2

Part one: Fall

Chapter 1

The sky was overcast, causing the room to be a depressing shade of grey as light came in from the window through the closed and broken shades. It was around ten in the morning, and everyone was up and about. Everyone except for her and the rest of the night shift. They always tried to sleep through the day, to keep their energy going through the night. It never really worked for her though. She always got up around this time every day to visit with other people in the town. Groaning, Ellie rolled over, fighting as long as possible to stay in bed. Finally, more awake than asleep now, she decided to get up. As she got up from her mattress, which lay on the floor in the corner of the room, she walked over to her dresser and put on a grey hoodie and some jeans. As she bent over to slide on the jeans, her red hair went right into her face. It was getting too long, and she knew it would have to be cut soon. Once she got her jeans on, she picked up a string and tied her hair back into her trade mark pony tail.

Finished and now looking at least half way decent, she walked through the house that she and Joel shared into the kitchen, trying to find something to eat. Searching through the cupboards, she found some dried out fruit, and sat down to eat. As she bit into the fruit, the few remaining juices identifying it as an apple slice, she thought about Joel. Once they got back to Jackson after their ordeal with the fireflies, she had insisted on living with Joel, which he agreed to. In the time that they had been together, from Boston until now, he had become nothing short of a father to her. She hadn't known her real father, and barely remembered her mother at all, so it was nice to have someone who cared about her that way. And it went the other way, as well. She knew that he appreciated having something like a daughter again, after losing Sarah so long ago. He still didn't talk about her much, but he seemed to have moved on, for which she, and she had a feeling Sarah too, was glad.

Finishing her fruit, she got up, put her boots on, and walked outside. She was deciding whether to go see some of the other people her age or go see Joel first when she saw Kevin walking down the street. Kevin was a little guy, fourteen and about 100 pounds soaking wet. What he lacked in size he made up for with a big, outgoing personality, of which Ellie was a fan. Back when she was new to the city, Kevin had welcomed her with open arms and a smile even while other kids were still wary of her because of her being new.

That smile was not there now, however. Instead, it was replaced with a look of concentration, as if he had been given something important to think over. And she realized that he wasn't just walking along the street, he was actually walking straight towards her. It wasn't hard for her to realize that this probably meant bad news for her.

Leaning against a wall, she waited for Kevin to get to her while mentally going through things that she had done over the past week to get into trouble. After a good twenty things, she decided to give up on it. She had to pay the piper at some point, and this was probably it.

"How's it going, Kev?" She said once he had finally gotten there. "You look weird."

"Eh, I feel kinda weird." He said, still with that puzzled look on his face. "Tommy just told me that me and you are going to be going on a trip in a little while, and asked me to get you. Strange, huh?"

"Yeah it's weird. I'm guessing Joel is going with to?" She asked, figuring that would be the way it was going to work, like always.

"I dunno. All I know is that Tommy told me to get you, and when I left, I heard Joel and him yelling at each other, like normal."

That much Ellie could be reasonably sure was true. For two brothers, they were always at odds with each other over something. It could get pretty funny at times, especially because she knew that most of the time they weren't actually arguing for any other reason than to argue. She wondered if all siblings were like that, as she had never had any of her own. Joel was the only family that she had ever known, if she was being honest. He was the only person that she could absolutely trust, without any reservations. That was why they insisted on going out on their runs together. They knew and trusted each other better than most partners.

"Well, let's get going I guess. Don't want to keep Tommy waiting." Kevin sounded impatient, and so Ellie knew she had to make him squirm a little.

"Alright. Why don't you wait out here for a second while I go grab my gear." Before he had a chance to argue, she had already turned and started walking. "I won't be long, I swear!"

Getting into the house, she grabbed her backpack from the counter, knowing it had most of what she would need; matches, some duct tape, some spare cloth, and a medical kit. Going into her room, she grabbed an extra flannel over shirt, in case she got cold. Finally, she went to her closet, opened a box, and pulled out her revolver. Her 9mm had broken long ago from old age, so she had to move to this. Not that she didn't enjoy the extra power, but she didn't like the whole six shots thing. Then again, she still had her switch blade, so if she was lucky, she wouldn't even need the gun. Finished, she put on a baseball hat and went back out.

Kevin had been leaning against the fence, impatiently waiting on her. She knew he was trying to hide how excited he was. This was his first time going out on a run, and he was really chomping at the bit. As comical as it might be to watch him squirm, she was anxious to get out as well. It had been awhile since she had left the city, and it would be nice to get out and away from all the people. Motioning to Kevin, she led the way to Tommy's.

As they walked, she had time to take in how busy everyone was right now. Crops were being harvested, animals were being slaughtered, clothes were being sewn and crafted, all in preparation for the winter. Word was, though, that it wouldn't be enough. They had taken on some extra people during the summer, and the amount of food they had might not be enough to feed everyone through the winter.

"Probably why we're being sent out." She thought to herself. She had always had a knack for coming through when they needed it, and were probably relying on that luck. Also, it didn't hurt that she had traveled with Joel over hell's half acre on a wild goose chase and came back in one piece. Not that she was at all still bitter about that.

She did have to admit though, Jackson City made the trip worth it. Once she had been around for a little bit, people were actually pretty friendly to her. She didn't have to watch her back all the time, she had people her age to talk to, and she actually had people who would help her just because of the simple fact she was their friend. Back in the quarantine zone, she had to worry about being killed just for having a ration card, and nothing was ever free. But the best thing by far was that she actually felt safe for the first time in her life. When they had originally got there, there was an issue with hunters, but they had dwindled in the past couple years, and now people felt safer than ever. It was quite refreshing to the running-for-your-life lifestyle she was used to. In short, she liked it here, and she would do anything to help it keep going.

They walked for a few minutes they came to Tommy's house in the center of town. It was the oldest, and one of the few not built by the survivors. Walking up the steps and onto the porch, she knocked on the door a few times before she heard someone get up to open it. She was happy to see Tommy's haggard face in the door way, and gave a brief but warm hug. Over the past two years, he had become something of an uncle to her, giving her advice that Joel couldn't, or wouldn't. He ushered them inside and closed the door behind them.

"So how are ya, Tommy?" She asked, trying to make a little small talk before they got down to business.

"Tired. Why don't you and Kevin get on into the living room, where we can talk." He looked exhausted, and probably hadn't slept in the last couple of days. He walked a little clumsily, and his speech was slightly slurred. He seemed to have aged three years since she had last seen him, and she had no doubt that it was his role that was doing this. She'd have to remind herself to get him to take a rest once they got back. Jackson needed him, and she would be damned if she wouldn't help.

The living room, if it could be called that, was occupied by the largest assortment of maps that Ellie had ever seen. Both printed and hand drawn maps covered the walls and the tables, with some finding a home on the floor. They couldn't even sit down for fear of wrecking some of the carefully drawn and detailed maps on the couch.

"So, Ellie. How do you feel about making a run?" He asked it as if it was something she could turn down. She knew that he knew better, of course. Just common courtesy to ask.

"I'm up for it. Where?"

Tommy started to answer, thought better of it, and then went to one wall that showed a map of the surrounding counties. He pointed to a city at the far right corner. "Here. Cross Bridge."

"Jesus Tommy, how far is that?"

"Oh come on, it's only about eight hours." He looked at her, and seemed sorry that he had to ask her to do it. "Look, you're a smart girl. You know about a lot of stuff that you shouldn't, including our food stocks. If we want to avoid a panic, we need to keep this as small as possible. That means no talking to anyone about the food."

"Speaking of that, how are we doing?"

"Not well. At the rate that we are harvesting, we'll only have enough to last half the winter. "

"And that means that people are going to have to go hungry, which will piss them the fuck off." Ellie finished for him. She could see the predicament that he was in a little clearer now. "Alright, so we're going for food?"

"Actually, I need you and Kevin to go there to see if it's been cleaned out already, if it hasn't, how much food is left, and scope it out for clickers. It SHOULD be relatively safe, since we haven't seen a clicker in weeks, but I still want someone to go and check."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Me and KEVIN? What about Joel?" She looked at Kevin and felt sorry after seeing the look of disappointment on his face. She'd have to apologies for that later.

Tommy seemed to flinch at the name of his brother, and motioned for her to go to his room. She would have protested, but now she was worried about Joel.

After closing the door, Tommy sat down on his bed, and it seemed as a great weight was lying on him. His back sagged, and he looked absolutely worn out. "Sit down Ellie, we gotta talk about Joel."

She did as she was asked, and waited for him to speak.

"Well, I don't want Joel going out as much anymore. Not that he isn't capable, because he is. And not because he doesn't want to. When I told him I was sending you and Kevin out without him, he lost it." He stopped there for a moment, a tired smile playing on his lips. "But he's getting old Ellie. He just turned 48 a few months ago, and even back before the world turned to shit, he would have to start slowing down. Now if he makes one mistake, he loses one step because of his age, it might be his last. I don't want him to go, and I don't think you want him to either."

He stopped talking, and gauged her for a reaction. She was honestly relieved that she wasn't the only one who was concerned about Joel's age. She had been planning on talking to him about it soon anyway, Tommy just beat her to the punch. She looked at him and nodded. She didn't want him to die, and this was as good a way as any to keep him safe.

"Alright. But why are you setting me up with Kevin?"

"Because he's never been on a run before, and you need a new partner. Now, I hope you said your goodbyes, because you need to get going like now if you want to make it to town before dark." He ushered her out into the living room, bid them both goodbye, and watched them leave. Inwardly, he had a sinking feeling that he had made a mistake not having Joel go with them.

"Be careful guys." He said to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

The forest was bright with autumn, the red and orange leaves lying on the ground in a thick carpet and filling the trees. The wind had picked up in the last hour, blowing straight from the direction of the town and cutting through their clothing. The town had just come into view a few minutes ago, and Ellie knew that it would be a good 20 minutes or so before they actually started to reach houses.

It had been a quiet walk from Jackson, neither of them talking much. Kevin's silence was because he was trying to hide his excitement from his new partner and thinking about what lay ahead. Ellie's came from her thinking about Joel, about him getting old, and about herself getting old.

She had started to see Joel's age show a little after they had settled into Jackson. It started with aches, just when he was getting up and working. Then, a couple months after that, his hands started to get clumsy, not wanting to squeeze and grip right. He had kept it quiet, but she knew. And she had been scared. He was her rock. He was indestructible. To see him becoming weak ripped her apart inside.

At least Tommy had done something about it. When she got back to Jackson, she promised herself that she would have a sit-down with Joel. If he would listen to anybody about this, it was her.

Lost in thought, she didn't see the shadows lurking in the forest, or how they followed them as Ellie and Kevin approached the town.

...

"So, is this looking like a total bust to you too, or is it just me?" Kevin asked, opening what must have been his tenth fridge in the tenth house they had searched. They had barely found anything, aside from a bottle of disinfectant and a can of tuna. They had also gone through two convenience stores, but those had been cleaned out as well.

"Yeah." Ellie said, slamming a cupboard door closed. "God damn it. We need to find something!" She knew what the stakes were, and Kevin was catching on quickly. If they didn't find something soon, be it on this trip or the next, shit was going to hit the fan come winter, when everyone would be hungry and think that they deserved more food than the person next to them. Everything that had been built with Jackson City was on the line and in their hands.

And they were coming up empty.

"C'mon, Kev. Let's go check another building before it gets to dark to see." Ellie said, already moving out the door.

They walked for a few minutes before Kevin stopped in his tracks, looking at a building. "Is that what I think it is?" He asked, moving towards the door.

Ellie followed, a little confused. She went through the open door, and was absolutely not expecting what there: comics. Comics from wall to wall, comics on the center shelves, and comics behind the counter. Kevin was at the far corner, looking through a comic that had a man in blue and red, with an S on his chest. The man was lifting a car, about to throw it at another man, who seemed to be dressed as a bat and holding a green rock. "Weird." She thought, then moved on to find Kevin behind the counter, rummaging through more comics.

"Check this out," He said, holding a comic with the same bat-man guy on the cover. "This guy is awesome! I'll bet he could beat anyone!"

"Look Kev, we really don't have time for this." She said, trying to get him to focus. "We've gotta find a good spot to hole up for the night, and it's a lot easier to do that when there's light." He looked at her with hurt, and she realized that he had probably been trying to connect with her and have a little fun. "Besides, wolverine could kick his ass any day."

"Yeah right!" Kevin said, smiling.

The sun had gotten low while they were in the comic shop, mingling shadows with a burnt orange light. As they stepped out into the street, Ellie felt rather than saw the eyes on them, and had just enough time to tackle Kevin to the ground before a bullet whistled over his head.

"FUCK ME!" He yelled as he shoved Ellie off of him. They both took cover behind a rusted out truck. Ellie made Kevin keep his head down, expecting more gunfire. However, no more shots rang out, and the evening air held a tense silence.

"Who the fuck are they? Hunters?" Kevin said, panicking a little. Ellie knew that he had never fought anyone like this before, and wasn't sure how reliable he would be.

"I don't know, and it's not important. Just stay down, aright?" As she spoke, she grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Bracing herself, she peeked over the hood of the truck to try and make out their attackers. There were five coming down the street. Two with shotguns, one with a rifle, and two with metal pipes. They looked like hunters; people who killed others and then scavenged their gear. If they were after them, there would be no mercy, and she didn't like the odds.

Turning to Kevin, she motioned for him to follow. She moved car to car, staying exposed for the minimum amount of time and getting away from them at the same time. She knew what would happen if the hunters saw them, and had started to shake with fear. When another gunshot rang out over their heads, she knew that they had no choice but to run.

"Run Kevin!" She screamed, turning to try and hold them off. Kevin needed to get away. He was way too young to die. Leveling her revolver, she took aim and shot one of the shot-gunners. Turning to Kevin, who stood frozen, she yelled again, "Get out of here! Get back to the city and tell them what happened. GO!" With that, he turned and scurried off. Watching him go, she felt something go with him. Maybe it was the hope that she would come back from this in one piece.

She closed her eyes for a second and calmed herself, listening intently for the hunters to get closer. Hearing one run into a car, she rose, took aim, and dropped him where he stood. As he fell, she saw another to his right, and fired at him as well. She then ran through an ally, reloading her revolver as she went, behind her, she could hear screams of pain and anger, and knew that at least one of the men that she had shot was still alive. Coming to a road, she hid behind another car and waited. Sure enough, the hunters came right on through the ally. She rose and fired from behind the car, hitting one man in the shoulder, near the neck. Firing two more shots, she was just about to take cover again when something slammed into her side, knocking her to the ground a few feet from where she was standing.

She lay there, dazed. At first, she thought she had been shot, as the pain in her side was immense. As she lay there, struggling to breath, a massive man stepped into her view, wielding a metal bar. As she watched him, he pulled his meaty leg back and kicked her, sending her into the air and smashing into a car. She tried to raise the gun, but he moved to quickly and grabbed it from her hand, twisting her wrist in the process. As she watched, the man went through the process of emptying the revolver, then took the cylinder and snapped it off from the rest of the frame, rendering it useless. She tried to get up, to fight, but he just kicked her against the car again. Finally, he was joined by his comrades, including one of the men she had shot, who held his bleeding shoulder. He came over and stomped on her ribs hard enough that there was an audible crunch as bones cracked and broke. Her shriek was soundless, as all the air was forced from her lungs.

Lying on the ground, she struggled to breathe. The man who had smashed her with the bar started to laugh, pointing and saying that they had found tonight's "Entertainment". He walked over to her and raised the metal bar above his head in two hands, clearly about to kill her.

"Fuck! God damn it, mother fucking FUCK!" She thought to herself. It wasn't fair! She wasn't ready to die, especially to a few lucky hunters. She wanted to see Joel again, kick Tommy's ass at checkers more, fall in love. Jesus Christ, she hadn't even had SEX yet! Tears of frustration ran down her face as she stared at the man about to cave in her skull. She wasn't scared, she was pissed!

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, a curious thing happened; as the man was about to swing the bar down, blood exploded out of his neck. He stood there for a moment with a shocked look upon his face, then fell to the ground, showering a dazed Ellie with blood. Moments later another shot rang out, and this time one of the men fell to the ground holding his stomach.

"It's the WOLF, RUN!" one of the men yelled, and then they both took off. Ellie couldn't see it, but she heard another shot and heard the sound of a man falling and smashing into a car.

It seemed like an eternity she laid there, wondering what had happened. Had Kevin come back? And if he had where was she. She looked to her left, and saw the wounded man struggle to breathe. He looked to be in a great deal of pain as blood pored from his gut onto the ground. He looked frightened, though whether that was from the wound or the person who had inflicted it, she couldn't tell.

Her vision swam in and out, and it was a moment before she saw someone kneeling in front of the hunter. He, (and she was pretty sure it was a he) was dressed in a black hoody with the hood up, hiding his face. He was looking at the hunter, who in turn was doing everything he could to get away from the man, looking absolutely terrified.

The man reached out and put his hand on the hunter's shoulder, making him go calm. She could not hear what the man said, but she watched the hunter's face slacken and his eyes close with a look of relief. She then watched the man take a pointed piece of metal bar out of his backpack and shove it into the hunter's temple. The hunter's legs twitched once, and then he was completely still. The man stared at his work for a full minute, unmoving. Finally, he pulled the bar slowly out of the hunter's head, wiped it on the hunter's shirt, and then stood.

Then he turned to her.

As he approached, her vision swam again, and she felt as if she was going to vomit. Even so, she still tried to back away, scooting on her butt as she forced air into her lungs. However, she made the mistake of putting her left arm on the ground, and all the air rushed out of her as she screamed from the pain lancing up from her wrist. Tears ran down her face as she realized that it was out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Suddenly the stranger reached out and grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from moving. It was then that she looked under the hood.

The man wore a mask that covered most of his face, leaving only the top of his cheeks up exposed. Even though she could only see half of his face, however, it was enough to actually scare her. The man had multiple scars that she could see, including one big one going from the left eye at an angle that made her sure that it extended down through the mask, touching the left side of his mouth. Not only was his skin scarred, but his mask as well. It had multiple scratches and gouges, many seemingly made from knives, the others seeming to be bite and scratch marks. His eyes were dark under the hood, glittering and cold as they bored into her, making unknown calculations and conclusions. For her part, she was more scared than when the man was going to kill her with the pipe. At least then she knew what was coming. This man was an unknown. Sure, he might kill her. Or he might not, and she knew that there were many things worse than death.

She looked into his eyes again, and still they were cold and devoid of any emotion. No anger, no joy, just blank. They starred at each other for a few moments more, each waiting for something to happen, before the pain and shock took her down into the oblivion of unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

When she woke, the first thing she saw was him. She immediately flinched and jumped away. She then discovered three things: 1; she was on a musty smelling bed, 2; her right hand was handcuffed to the frame of said bed, and 3; she had at least a couple broken ribs and likely a fractured wrist. As she lay back down on the bed in pain, she looked around the room, trying to find something to fight her savior turned captor. The dirty, debris strewn room held nothing close enough to get to. It was night, and she could see stars through the cracks and holes in the ceiling. She contemplated screaming, hoping that somebody would hear, but just as soon discarded the idea. That somebody could be a lot worse than this guy, after all.

The man in question was sitting across the room from her in a corner. He had a large pistol strapped to his thigh over his green cargo pants, and his hand was never more than a few inches away. He sat there hunched over and hood up, hiding his face above his mask, even though she could tell he was staring at her. He wore a black hoody that had some logo with the words "No Fear" written in orange. He had on gloves, both missing the last two sections of the middle and index fingers. More than anything else, Ellie got the sense that this guy knew what he was doing, and that he wouldn't be easy to take down.

As this thought crossed her mind, she realized that she had been handcuffed to a bed, for an unknown amount of time, with a man she didn't even know. As she began to feel for anything strange, she was again surprised to find that she was still fully clothed and felt fine. Confused, she looked up and saw the man holding her backpack, looking through it. She was instantly angry, and spoke first.

"Hey asshole, hands off my stuff!" By the end, she was shouting at the man, who carefully put the bag on a chair. She was wondering why that had been so easy when he started walking over to her. "Back off fuck-face."

This time, the man didn't even seem to register her speaking, the eyes above the mask giving away nothing. As he got closer, Ellie reached back behind her to get her switch-blade. It was still safely tucked in its sheath on her belt, and this guy was going to get to meet it face to face.

Right before he got close enough for Ellie to use the knife, he stopped and looked at her. She knew that he knew about the knife, even though she didn't know how. Maybe he had frisked her before putting her on the bed? She didn't know or care, more focused on the fact that the man now had her completely at his mercy, and that she was defenseless as long as he stayed out of blade range and she was handcuffed to the bed.

"You have three broken ribs. The handcuffs were so that you wouldn't hurt yourself by thrashing around." He spoke in a strange, hollow way, and kept the emotion from his voice and his face. "How are you?"

"Oh I feel fucking fantastic! I just got the shit kicked out of me, my partner is long gone, and I'm hand cuffed to a god damned BED, with some fucking creep!" She was trying to antagonize him, to get him a little close. Just a little closer, and then she could use her knife.

He didn't seem fazed and simply stood there, looking her over from a distance. It took her a moment before she realized that he was looking her over for wounds, and not simply checking her out. She shuddered at that last thought, trying to move on by saying, "So, what's next?"

Again he looked at her for a long, silent moment before speaking. "You can't get back to Jackson city without my help. I'll get you back there." He said it again with no emotion, and did not expect debate.

"Fuck no!" She yelled, furious. She didn't need some stranger holding her hand all the way back to Jackson. Broken ribs or no, she could make it back herself. As she was contemplating throwing the switch blade at the man, something occurred to her. How did he know that she was from Jackson? When she asked, he looked away, and didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, he looked at her, and something had changed in his eyes. They were angry, full of fury, and he lunged at her. She involuntarily flinched, causing lightning bolts of pain to go up her sides and her arm. He immediately stopped and backed off, not wanting to get into blade range. Once her pain subsided, he spoke.

"That is why you aren't going alone. You're too hurt. I know about Jackson because I was scouting it." He had resumed his passiveness, and made it clear to Ellie that he was not going to harm her. She didn't like being manipulated, and hated the fact that she needed him to get to Jackson. While she didn't like the situation, however, she was not blind to the fact that he was right.

"Fine. Let me loose."

"I'll get you a gun." He said as he threw the key to her.

"Well, gee, thanks." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she undid the cuffs.

As Ellie was un-cuffing herself, he turned and walked through the door he had been sitting near, motioning her to follow. She entered into a room made of wood walls that were sagging and beginning to rot. All around the room were piles of junk, knives, medical materials, and tools of all shapes and sizes. The man was going through a box that had been placed on a work bench, using an over-head light for illumination. As Ellie got closer, he held up a hand, motioning her to stop. She was still wary of the man, even though he had explained the whole handcuffing thing, and she had the switch blade tucked into her right jacket sleeve, ready to use at a moment's notice. Suddenly the man pulled something from the box and set it on the table and going back to the box. It was a pistol, though she couldn't get a good look at it from where she was.

As he worked, she asked him, "So, why did you save me, anyway?"

He didn't look at her while he answered, instead focusing on the box and what was inside. "I was in the area, looking for that group of hunters, when I saw them coming after you and your friend. I was going to take a shot at them to distract them, but then you sent your friend running, and you ran into the ally. I couldn't shoot then, because if I forced them to take cover, your friend could have been spotted. Before I could get my scope on one of them again, the last guy had chased you into the ally. I ran around and shot at them as soon as I could." The last few words almost sounded like an apology, but he quickly covered it. "After you passed out, I brought you here and put you on the bed. I checked you for injuries and would have tapped up your ribs, except for the fact that you would probably want to kill me." She chuckled despite herself at that thought. He certainly wasn't stupid.

"Ok. That explains the how, now how about the why?"

"My own reasons. Leave it." He said, finishing the topic.

"Okay, o' mystery man. Can you at least give me a name?" Ellie was starting to get impatient with the man again, and let it show in her voice.

He stopped with the box and looked at her, trying to think of what to say. Finally, he came up with something.

"The hunters around here have taken to calling me "The Wolf". Kind of stupid, but it works."

"Seriously?" Ellie said, almost laughing at how cliché the name was, then at how cliché the whole situation was. Mysterious man saves damsel in distress, then damsel falls for him, and they live happily ever after. She knew that the last parts wouldn't be happening, but it still made her chuckle to think about. When all he did was nod his head and keep rummaging through the box, she stopped.

A couple minutes later, he finally moved aside, letting Ellie see what he had been working on. On the table were a pistol and some magazines. The pistol was painted black, and showed no sign of rust. She was more focused on what type of pistol it was, however. She was surprised to see it was an M9, a rare and reliable pistol with room for 16 bullets in its magazine. She almost couldn't believe it. She had only seen a couple in her life time, and was always envious of people who had them. After all, you can kill a lot with 16 bullets, and if the thing in question wouldn't go down, then you would probably be better off using one of those bullets on yourself instead.

She picked up the gun gently with her good hand, getting used to the weight and feel. Wolf was on the other side of the room, looking at a crate filled with boxes of ammunition. He was a strange one, that was for sure. First he saved her, now he was going to walk her back to Jackson, which he had all ready known about somehow, for reasons he wouldn't talk about. All of that, plus the fact that he showed about as much emotion as a fucking rock, made her feel both uneasy and at the same time intrigued. She was curious to see what this "Wolf" would do. He had removed his hood as he worked, and she saw long black hair that spilled down his back. It was unkempt and dirty, like the house they were in. He still hadn't taken off the mask, though. That was one thing that definitely set her on edge. The mask in question looked to be handmade, and seemed to be crafted of a hard, grey metal and covered his face to just below his eye sockets. Once it got past his jaw, it turned into a leather strap that went around his head. It had seen plenty of wear and tear, and had many scars and gouges in the metal. It had three slots at the mouth and two nose holes to breathe out of, and also allowed his voice to come out clear. It was definitely strange, and she wondered what he looked like underneath.

While she had been thinking this, Wolf had handed her a box of bullets, and she had been steadily adding them to the magazines, filling each one. Sliding one of the clips into the pistol, she racked a shell into the chamber. Finally, she put the extra clips into her bag and gun into her belt. Finished, she watched Wolf for a moment. He was doing the same thing with his pistol, but the bullets and gun were different. The bullets were considerably bigger than the 9mm rounds in her pistol, and she guessed that they were .45s. The pistol itself looked like it had been through the wringer, with scratches breaking up the black of the metal and handle. For all the scratches, however, there was not even a hint of rust, and it seemed to gleam in the lamp-light.

"So, when do we head out?" She asked, hoping that the answer would be soon.

"As soon as it gets dark. You should be back by first light." He said as he vaulted over a dirty couch and lay down where he landed.

"Ok, well what am I supposed to do in the mean time?" She said, hoping that she could convince him to leave sooner.

He stared at the ceiling, not speaking. She took the silence as "I don't care" and was slightly irritated. This man didn't seem to give a rat's ass about anything, except for her, which was strange. Whatever she was going to do, sleep or let her guard down around this man would not be it.

**So, hey everybody. Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I know we are just getting started, but I got some serious hopes for this. This is my first fanfiction, as you can probably tell, and i hope that people will review and tell me what you think, what i can improve on, and just to talk in general. I know this was a bit of a slow chapter, but that is just setting up for the next one. Thanks for reading, and thank you if you will put a review up or ask any questions.  
**** Peace**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

The silence of the forest was nearly absolute, with only the wind breaking the spell by blowing branches and leaves. Wolf had chosen for them to follow an old deer path that he had found a few weeks before. He wanted to stay off the road as much as possible, and knew that this was the most efficient way to do so. The trail did eventually terminate into a road, but by then they would be close enough to Jackson that it wouldn't really make a difference. Wolf knew this because he had walked the path to Jackson a few times using this trail.

"Christ its cold." Ellie said quietly as the wind picked up, cutting through her cloth jacket. Neither of them was wearing wind breakers, Wolf because the sound they made was too loud, and Ellie because the one he had was covered in blood. She hadn't wanted to travel at night and had protested at first, saying that she was 'Going to freeze her fucking ass off'. Unfortunately they didn't have a choice, as he explained how he had missed one of the hunters in his hurry to get to her. He would, of course, be bringing friends back to try and kill him, and he didn't want Ellie around when that happened. After a debate, she eventually gave up the argument, claiming that it was useless talking to a rock.

"What am I doing?" He asked himself silently for perhaps the fifteenth time since he had rescued her from the pack of hunters. He had known from the very second that he sighted in on the first hunter that he was making a big mistake. His plan had been to follow them out of town, then deal with them, concealing his base at least for a little longer. Now, thanks to the girl and his stupid heroics, he was going to have to speed up his time table exponentially. He had three, maybe four days max to destroy the entire camp of hunters before their search parties found his house. Should that happen, the past three months of work would have been for nothing, and he would most likely be adorning the hunter's town hall. Well, pieces of him would, anyway.

As he turned back to look at Ellie through the darkness, however, he knew he had made the right choice. He didn't know how, but somehow he knew that she was good, and there were few enough good people in the world without losing another. As he waited for her to catch up, he watched as she moved through the darkness. He wouldn't hear of them using flashlights when the moon was out like it was, and she was having a rough time. He was surprised by how little she complained, however. Even after they had been traveling hours, in the dark over rough terrain, she had only complained the one time about it being cold.

"She's tough." He said to himself. No wonder she had survived the hunter attack until he got there. If she could be out in this cold with broken and bruised ribs, she had to have experience in situations like this. He had been initially concerned that he would have to carry her back to her city, but that obviously would not be an issue. With just a few hours left, and her showing no sign of stopping, he knew they would get there right on time.

They walked in silence for a time, each holding their own council about the other. When they stopped to rest, Ellie couldn't resist asking some questions. Sitting down on a stump, she began to ask him things.

"How long have you been here?"

"About a year."

"Why haven't you tried to talk to us?"

"I didn't want to."

"Where are you from?"

"A lot of places."

Eventually, she just got angry and stopped questioning him, until something important occurred to her.

"How much do you know about our food situation?" She asked, guessing that he had been watching them recently. Maybe he would know if they could find some food somewhere close.

"You're not doing well. At the rate your farms are producing, people are going to go hungry during the winter." He spoke neutrally, voice never betraying any emotion or caring.

"Do you know anywhere we can find some? We are really hurting, probably more than you know."

The worry and concern in her voice gave him pause. As he thought about what he should tell her, he wondered what her course of action would be. Would she want to help? Would she laugh at him? Why should he care enough to even answer? Finally, deciding to go with the truth, he spoke.

"All the towns around here have been cleaned out pretty good, if not by the people who lived there, then by hunters. I'm guessing the only source of food large enough to help you guys, the hunters got." Her face fell, and she walked on in silence.

"I do know of a group nearby, and they won't be needing it for much longer." He said. For some reason he didn't understand, he wanted to cheer her up. He knew immediately that he had made a mistake, as she stopped dead in her tracks to look at him.

"What do you mean?" She asked, suspicion in her voice.

He was silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. He knew that the situation required a very delicate response.

"Well, I'm going to kill them." He said flatly.

"WHAT?" The suspicion was replaced with shock, and it was written on her face as well.

_FUCK!_ He mentally kicked himself for being an idiot. "Look, it's what I do. They're scum, and I kill them. If you want, I can get a message to you when I'm done, you can come in and grab the food, and everybody's happy."

She just stared at him like he was speaking Russian. Finally, she collected herself enough to speak.

"Look, we hate hunter's just as much as anybody else, but you can't attack an entire camp by yourself! Do you even know how many people there are in the camp?"

"37: 25 men, 10 women, 2 children." As he said this, he got up and started walking, intending for the conversation to be finished. Ellie, moving up beside him, wouldn't have it.

"So, you're saying that you are going to kill a camp with 37 people in it, by yourself. Why?" She was trying to figure out whether or not to offer help or not, and she needed to know his reasons now more than ever.

"Because they deserve to die. And I can do it, so why shouldn't I?" He didn't slow down, hoping that she would get the hint that he wanted to be finished with the conversation. He didn't like talking about his reasons for killing them. He knew it was the right thing to do, and that should be enough.

They walked on in silence for a time, each thinking about what he had said. Wolf was berating himself for accidentally bringing up the conversation, and Ellie wondering if she were traveling with a madman. Both were distracted, and so when they heard the scream, both jumped in surprise.

Recovering quickly, they each got off the path and hid behind brush and trees, waiting to see if it was coming their way. After a couple minutes, they heard it again. It was pained, the type that would make you concerned for your own safety, rather than trying to help. Looking at each other, they both moved towards the sound, walking off the trail and into the dense woods.

…..

There were four of them, including one prisoner.

Ellie and Wolf had been walking for about five minutes when they came upon the camp. It was hard to miss, due in large part to the blazing fire. The men must have thought that they had safety in numbers, and were in no way being subtle.

They were obviously hunters, and Wolf knew that they were from the larger camp that he had been attacking for the past few months. Two of them were armed with guns, while the third had a hatchet stuck in his belt. They were talking and yelling, at least one of the men obviously drunk. They ranged in age, with the youngest and loudest one being about 16, and the oldest being about 50. The hunters however were not what caught his and Ellie's attention.

On the ground, near the fire, sat the figure of Kevin. He was shirtless and shoeless, and his body was covered in bruises, lumps, and cuts. He had probably been captured on his way back to town, and was being held for information. However, the fact that he was still alive said that Kevin hadn't talked. Considering the fact that he was just a kid, Wolf was surprised that he had held out this long.

As one of the men kicked Kevin in the ribs, Ellie flinched and reached for her pistol. Before she could draw it, however, Wolf put a strong hand on Ellie's, stopping her. He knew that if this wasn't handled correctly, Kevin would probably be dead before he could get him out of there.

Looking back at the camp, he put his mouth right next to her ear and whispered. "Stay here. I'll sneak around. If something goes wrong, come running." Before she had time to argue, he was off through the brush, circling around the camp like a shadow.

…..

As he circled around the camp, all thoughts of Ellie and Kevin left his head. All regrets and anger at himself for being a sap were pushed aside to rise again later. Now, in this moment, all that mattered were the three hunters. The tall one; middle aged, shirtless and in jeans with old cowboy boots, drunk, a snub-nosed revolver tucked into his waist band, possibly a .32 caliber. The old one; thin, around 50, Dressed in a blue-black checkered jacket and jeans with what looked like steel toed boots, sober, wary, sitting facing the camp, but attentive to the darkness, holding a shotgun, 12 gauge, most likely to cause problems if not dealt with first. The young one; thin, small, around 16, dressed in a bulky jacket and jeans with tennis shoes, slightly drunk, loud mouthed, talking about skinning wolves, or possibly _the wolf_, Inexperienced, holding a hatchet, easiest target. Taking a position in the brush behind the kid, he decided he was ready.

He slowly took out his pistol, the slight scraping sound it made deafening to his enhanced hearing. All of his senses were on over drive as the adrenalin of the situation hit him. He also slid out his knife in his left hand, using it to brace his gun hand, the point of the knife towards the hunters. If he wanted to save Kevin, he needed to take out the gunmen first, which meant the kid would try and turn on him with the hatchet. Hopefully, the kid would be too drunk to move quickly enough, and Wolf would be able to kill him where the kid now stood. If not, Wolf was going to get some blood on his recently acquired jacket.

He stalled for a moment, trying to figure out any variables. Once he was confident, he walked into the clearing, in clear view of the man with the shotgun.

Had the old man been expecting Wolf to walk into the light, plain as day, he would have killed him in half a heartbeat. However, the shear boldness of his entrance was enough to shock the man, and Wolf put two bullets into his chest. Next, before the drunk realized what was happening, Wolf shut him down with a shot to the man's head, dropping him where he stood.

Turning to look at the kid, Wolf was surprised to see that he was two feet away, raising the hatchet in to hands. He jumped back, easily avoiding the kid's wild swing. At this point, he could just knock the kid out. He didn't need to kill him. When he woke and found his friends dead, he would likely leave, and never come back. Or he could shoot the kid, he would just need to duck away a little farther, making the kid stall and lose momentum. He didn't need to do what he was going to do. And he would never admit, even to himself, that he didn't know why he was going to do it.

The kid had no chance, but he was young and drunk, full of energy. Swipe after swipe would almost connect, but then Wolf would dodge, causing him to over swing. Finally, with both hands, he made a diagonal cut, leaving himself wide open. The kid never saw the knife flash, only felt the blade as it buried itself into his stomach. He had been taught anatomy by an uncle, who hadn't been drunk or high for once. If the kid would have guessed, he would have thought the knife had been buried into his liver, and known that he was a dead man. The thought never crossed his mind, however. The only thing he could think about was the eyes he saw. They were so cold, so devoid of anything that one might have assumed they were the eyes of an android or a robot. But the kid saw different. He saw something there. Something that had been hidden and suppressed for a long time. The kid saw it all, and in the moment before the knife was ripped out of his stomach and shoved through the bottom of his jaw, through the roof of his mouth and into his brain, he knew his assailant better than any other person in the world.

His last feeling was one of pity for the man.

…..

The camp was enveloped in silence, the only noise coming from the crackling of the fire. The entire scene had taken a little more than 15 seconds to unfold. Wolf stood alone in the camp, the body of the kid laid out beneath him, his knife wrapped tightly in his fist. The firelight casted dancing shadows behind him and reflected on his mask, the moving light and dark creating a sort of strange beauty.

As he looked down at the kid he had killed, for he was in no way a man yet, Wolf felt something. He couldn't name it, for he hadn't ever felt it before. He felt as if he had killed something defenseless, and now it lay there in front of him, broken.

Pushing the strange feeling from his mind, he reminded himself that there was still one person alive in the camp. Looking across the fire, he saw Kevin, bound and gagged, looking at him with the terror a mouse feels when trapped by a rattlesnake. The shear amount of fear in the boy's eyes surprised him. It wasn't that he had never seen that amount of fear before, but that he saw it on a regular basis from the hunters that he killed. It took him a moment to realize that the boy probably thought that he was next to be killed. Once he understood this, Wolf immediately holstered his pistol and knife and started to walk over to him. This, however, made Kevin even more terrified, as he could just imagine what this monster was going to do to him with his bare hands.

Before Wolf reached him, however, Ellie ran into the camp and jumped onto Kevin, giving him a massive hug and asking him over and over again if he was o.k. She tore the gag from his mouth, allowing Kevin to speak. The first thing out of his mouth was a terrified scream as Wolf walked closer. Ellie immediately turned, ready to fight whatever had scared him, before seeing Wolf standing there. She realized what was going on immediately. Kevin was in shock. He probably thought that Wolf was going to eat him or something, and she couldn't really blame him. Even after seeing what he did to the hunters who almost killed her, she was still surprised by how easily he killed the group at the camp. He didn't seem to care at all about what he had done, either.

Turning back to Kevin, she made shushing sounds, trying to calm him. He kept muttering gibberish mixed with apologies. She turned back to Wolf, who beckoned her to him. Giving Kevin one last squeeze on the shoulder, she walked over to the man.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, until Ellie asked him what he wanted to do.

"I think you're going to have to go it alone from here." He was expecting an argument, and was surprised when she looked down and nodded her head. She had a peculiar light around her from the fire. To Wolf, she was even prettier than normal. He was happy he had his mask on, otherwise she would have seen him visibly swallow. For the first time in a long time, he was actually nervous. He didn't want to leave her, for some reason. He took his knife out of his sheeth and handed it to her. It was a long K-Bar combat knife, the one that the military had used for years. Normally, you could only find them attached to a quarantine officer, most of whom viewed them as prized possessions. As he handed it to her, he could see the question of where he had gotten it in her eyes, but she thought it better not to ask.

As she took the knife and slid it into her belt, he turned to leave. She grabbed his arm, however, and spun him around. He was expecting something, but the outstretched hand that she offered him was not it. He looked at it, confused as to what he should do, before it dawned on him that she was trying to do a hand shake. He awkwardly grasped it with the wrong hand, shaking it in a strange way. She almost laughed at him, but managed to stow it.

"Look, I appreciate your help." She spoke with genuine gratitude, something that Wolf was in no way accustomed to. He didn't know what to say, and she took that as license to continue. "We really need that food, and I really need to repay my debt. I think that I can get our leader to lend a few men to clearing out the hunter camp, if you have a plan."

He immediately recoiled his hand at the mention of help. "Yes I have a plan, and your people will fuck it up. I'll clear it out, BY MYSELF, and then I will give you a message as to where it is." With that, he turned around, but was again stopped by Ellie, who now was angry than grateful.

"That isn't going to work, dumbass! You need help. I don't care how good you are with a gun, 35 versus one is suicide." She would have went on, but Wolf raised a hand to stop her. He knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere arguing with her. Instead, he decided on a compromise, one that would keep her safe and get Jackson the food it needed.

"Alright," He began, speaking clearly through his mask. "in two days, you and your Dad, Joe or whatever his name is,"

"It's Joel." She interrupted

"Meet me where Ivory road and Nelson intersect. Look on any map, and you'll find it. I'll let you help me clear out the camp, but it can only be you two. And no car or horse or whatever. Come on foot."

"And how am I supposed to get him to come?" Ellie was starting to get fed up with the whole emotionless, in-charge, badass routine.

"You'll figure it out, now your friend needs you."

Ellie turned to look at Kevin, who had fainted. She ran over to him, trying to wake him up. She turned back to Wolf, but all that was left of him were footprints in the dirt. Looking back at Kevin, she silently swore to herself to punch him next time she saw him.

**Alrighty guys, there is chapter 5. I'm really sorry about not updating last week, like i planned, but i have had no time. I had highschool exams, started a new semester of college, worked slightly on this and my other fanfiction, and had to deal with parental divorce bullshit.  
****But I digress. Here it is. The next chapter is going to be really fun, so hopefully it will go up faster. Also, please tell me what you think about this with PMs or reviews. I really want to know what you guys think, and can use that to make the story better. Also, I'm not one of those writers who cant stand input on their stories or people giving them ideas, so please dont be nervous about telling me what you think and voicing complaints or ideas. Also, tell me some good music for the chapter, characters, or just some good music period. Thanks for all the views, and hope you enjoy.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

"So, is mystery man not gonna show?" Joel irritably asked, annoyed that they had been sitting in the same spot for hours. Ellie could only shrug and make an 'I don't know' sound.

Once Ellie and Kevin had gotten back to Jackson, they were immediately rushed to the doctor's house, a two story building with enough rooms to hold a good ten patients comfortably. There, she found out that she had three broken ribs, two fractured ribs, a sprained left wrist, and as the doctor put it, "more bruises than an abused banana." And all the while, Joel had not left her side. She could see that he blamed himself and Tommy for letting her go out without him. She was glad that she wasn't too bad off, though. The injuries were nothing that she hadn't dealt with before, after all.

Once she left the doctor's house after a good night of sleep, she had gone to Tommy's and told him and Joel everything, from the ambush in the town to Wolf's invitation to meet the next day. As she talked, Joel and Tommy would interrupt occasionally to ask her to clarify something or ask about Wolf himself. Once she finished, she told them that she did plan on going to meet him. Tommy was on the fence about it, but Joel was completely against it. He was afraid of Ellie getting hurt even more, and was dead set against her going out any time soon. However, Ellie eventually won out, due to her usual stubbornness and the fact that if Joel showed up alone or with another person without Ellie, Wolf was likely to run. Or try and kill them.

And so, now they sat at the intersection that Wolf had told Ellie about, waiting. They had been there for hours, and both were starting to doubt that the man had been serious about helping them, let alone destroying the supposed hunter camp. The fact that neither of them had seen the camp, or any major hunter camp in a year or so wasn't lost on them.

"So, how's your back? I heard that it was giving you trouble." Ellie asked, curiosity mixing with boredom. Maybe the guy had lied to her after all. But why would he?

"My back's fine Ellie." Joel said shortly. "You and Tommy are just over reacting. I ain't feeble yet." Obviously he was still bitter about her and Tommy's protective measures.

"Let it go man." Ellie was in no mood to argue about him not going out as much, and thought that she might slug him. She was starting to get angry at herself for believing Wolf would actually help them. Chances were that the crack pot had gotten himself shot on his way back to his house. Still, they could wait another hour.

"This guy, he said he's going to kill 30 hunters at once?" Joel asked sarcastically, clearly thinking that the man was either a liar or crazy as hell. "And he was going to do it by himself?"

"I don't know, maybe he was going to spread it out over a few days?" Ellie said, trying to justify Wolf's plan, even though she herself thought that the man may be a little bit unhinged. Flashes of the campfire fight, when he killed that poor kid went through her mind, and she swallowed outwardly.

Trying to find something to do, Ellie looked all around her at the forest. She watched as the wind blew the multi colored leaves through the air and dead brush. Two squirrels were playing in the trees and retreating slowly to the safety of their nest. The fall had come fully to the forest, and she knew it wouldn't be long before snow and ice of winter replaced the colorful leaves of fall. When that happened, it was just a matter of time before their food shortage would be discovered. Time was quickly running out for them to find a solution. That was the reason why she had been so ready to believe Wolf when he said that he might be able to help. And now it was looking like Wolf had lied, and that they were going to have to range out farther and farther, putting themselves at even more risk.

With these thoughts and similar ones running through both Ellie and Joel's minds, each were surprised to see a figure emerge from the brush on the other side of the road, about twenty feet from them. Joel's reaction was immediate. He raised his rifle towards the man, who wore camouflaged cargo pants and a red hoody with the hood up. He managed to hold off firing when he saw the mask, however. Both he and Ellie said nothing as they stared at the man.

The man in turn regarded them with the bland stare that he always wore. He looked to have been crawling around in the brush and dirt all morning, and had streaks of dirt and dead plants all over his clothing and mask. In the sunlight, the mask's dull grey color showed its scars and gouges well, and their lighter color spread all over it. He had no weapon in his hands and only the pistol on his leg. That was all they could see, anyway, but Ellie was sure he had more hidden on him.

"So," Wolf finally said, tired of the silence and ready to get started. "Are you guys coming or not?"

"Hold it." Joel said before Ellie could say anything. He wanted to cut the crap and do whatever needed doing, be that ambushing some hunters or getting back to figure out the food problem. But before that, he had to know that they were not walking into a trap. "We don't know you, so how do we know we can trust you?"

Wolf cocked his head to the side and looked at Joel as if he was a moron. There was silence for a few seconds until Wolf started to speak.

"Well, first off, I didn't kill you when I found you two minutes ago. Second, I didn't kill the girl when I found her two days ago. Third, I just walked three hours from where I have to ambush these fucks so I could pick you up to save your asses from starving to death, and now I have to walk another three hours back. And, finally, I don't have a fucking gun pointed at you." As he finished, he stared at Joel until the older man was forced to turn away, miffed at being brow beaten by someone he didn't even know. After another minute of silence, with no one knowing what to say, Wolf finally turned around and started walking back into the woods, uncaring of the rifle that was still pointed at his back.

"Look, come if you want the food," He yelled over his shoulder, "But I have people to kill, and I'm not wasting any more time talking."

Joel was debating on whether or not to go with the man when Ellie appeared in his scope walking towards Wolf, having made her decision. Sighing, he slung the gun over his shoulder and started their way. In the back of his mind, he was nervous about the six hour walk, though he would never admit it. He wasn't that old, after all.

…..

There was little attempt at conversation as they walked, aside from the basic "Where are we going?" and "How long will this take?" Wolf knew that Joel and Ellie weren't whining, however. They simply needed to plan out if they had to camp somewhere or not, as going back in the dark with hunters around was not a very desirable option. They didn't realize that there wouldn't _be _any hunters around in a few hours, so they didn't have to worry.

Ellie had been remotely friendly, which was more than Wolf had expected. She had made some small conversation at the beginning of the walk, and actually asked him how he was. He didn't know what to say for a moment before he simply answered that he was fine. After that, he avoided all conversation, aside from simple answers. He wasn't trying to be an ass, he just wasn't used to talking to people.

Joel had barely said anything since they had started walking, and Wolf was not surprised. He had watched him and Ellie enough to know that they were father and daughter, and Joel was not thrilled that she was out doing this. He suspected that Joel wasn't too fond of him either, but that was fine. As long as he didn't try anything, Joel could hate him as much as he wanted.

After a long two hours, they came to the ambush sight Wolf had picked out. He had led them to the top of a large hill, filled with pine and spruce trees. The hill over looked a large valley, full of dead grass. From their position, the valley had a sheer cliff on the left side, blocking any accent from the grassy plain, and on the right, a river swooped around, cutting off the right and back of the valley. In the front, there was a forest of pine and oak trees. The valley, all in all, was about 50 yards long, from forest to river. It was a classic ambush sight. The enemy would be completely exposed, as there was only grassy plain and a single rock towards the back of the valley.

"Man, look at that view!" Ellie exclaimed, pointing out how the hill showed not only the valley but also the forest and far off mountain ranges to the west. "Its like I can see everything from here! Look at the Rockies!"

Wolf had actually not even noticed this, and wouldn't have if the girl had not pointed it out. While he almost always kept his emotions in check, he did crack and show some child like wonder at the view. It was gorgeous, and he could just imagine what it would be like during sun down. He got himself under control after a moment, however, and was glad that the mask had covered his face so that his companions could not see his embarrassment.. He grounded himself in the upcoming events.

"Alright, come here." Directing Joel and Ellie to where he crouched. He pointed to the forest at the front of the valley. "In about an hour, I am going to be running out of there as fast as I can, and every hunter in their camp is going to be coming after me. I'm going to get to the back of that rock and take cover. Don't shoot or the plan won't work." He emphasized the last point, making it absolutely clear that failure was not an option.

Ellie wondered to herself how long he had been planning this, and what the next move would be. After all, ending up bottlenecked at the end of the valley was a death sentence. Just when she expected him to go on, however, he got up and started walking in the direction of the forest.

"Wait!" She yelled, causing him to turn around. "What are you going to do? What do you need us to do?"

Wolf easily replied, in a voice that she recognized from when he killed the hunters at the campsite, with its quiet tones unintentionally screaming emphasis to what he was saying, "You won't be doing anything but watching. As for me, I am about to go and kill 30 people."

And with that simple explanation he was gone, disappearing into the dark forest and leaving Joel and Ellie to wonder what he was planning.

...

The hunters had been sitting down for lunch, with almost everyone in their fenced off camp. The ones who were not were on guard duty, some watching the road, others patrolling the perimeter. They were talking, yelling, arguing, and fighting just the same as any other day. Though they thought of themselves only as people doing what they needed to survive, they behaved more like a pack of dogs.

From his position on a hill about twenty feet from the wall, Wolf was making the final preparations for what was coming. He had set up the valley perfectly, and no one but him knew what was awaiting the hunters there. He had his route that he would be running to the valley picked out, and knew that he would be able to traverse it with no issues. The only difficult part of the run would be to keep the hunters close enough to him as he was running so that they didn't stop chasing him, but he knew he could handle it. He had no weapons aside from his pistol, as they would have slowed him down.

With everything planned out, there was only one thing left to do. Un-holstering his pistol, he pointed it at one of the sentries. He wouldn't try for a head shot, as it didn't much matter if he killed the man with his first shot or not, as he would be putting several into the hunter's body.

The man looked about 20 to 25, blond with a rough beard, green jacket and blue jeans. He looked bored and kept glancing at the party as if he wanted to join it. With the sights of the .45 on the man, he gave himself the last bit of will power he needed, and he pulled the trigger.

His first shot hit the man in the chest, right above the heart. As blood started to flow from the wound onto his jacket, the guard started to fall. Before he hit the ground, however, two more bullets smacked into him.

The entire camp came alive in an instant, with each man and woman looking for the gunman. When one pointed to the hill, they all turned and saw the masked man that they had come to loath more than anything. Some began to shoot, and they all cheered when the surprised figure clutched his shoulder, obviously hurt. As the man ran into the woods, their leader, who they called 'Chief' whooped load in triumph and led nearly every hunter in the camp after the man.

They knew that they would be partying late into the night tonight.

…..

"Alright, I spy something…. White." Joel said, finally picking his item. Ellie had managed to talk him into playing 'I spy', which he had taught her after they moved to Jackson. While it seemed like a stupid thing to do given the situation, it was none the less a way to pass the time. It also helped them relax before whatever was going to happen happened, which was always a good idea.

"Oh come on man!" Ellie said as she laughed, fully enjoying herself despite the circumstances. "Is it the snow on the Rockies?"

"…..Damn it." Joel slowly said after a pause.

"Alright, my turn." Ellie said, smiling devilishly. She knew EXACTLY what she was going to choose. "I spy something….Silver and or Grey."

"Hmmm…." Joel breathed accidentally while he was pondering. While it was a stupid game, he did hate to lose. "The grey on my .44?"

"Nope."

"Barrel of my rifle?"

"Nuh-uh"

"Um, the heads on your arrows?"

"Not even close, dude."

"Well then what…" Joel almost finished before he realized exactly what the thing in question was. He looked at Ellie with mock loathing and said "You're an ass."

Ellie chuckled uncontrollably for a full minute before she managed to get out between gasps "So what is it?"

Joel was trying to look serious, even though he was cracking up on the inside too. He deadpanned "The gray hair on my head."

"I was going for the grey in the beard, but close enough!" She was laughing hard now, but when Joel immediately reached for his beard, shock and concern on his face, she really lost it. Eventually Joel joined in, each happy to forget where they were for a moment. After a couple minutes of boisterous laughing, they managed to get a hold of themselves and calmed down. They both stared at each other for a time, catching their breath.

"So, what do you think of Wolf?" Joel asked, breaking the silence. He had been wondering this since this escapade had started. Ellie had the most experience with him, so he wanted to compare her opinion to his.

Ellie started to respond, then stopped, unsure if what to say and how to word it. After a moment of deliberation, she started.

"Well, I'm really not sure about him. I mean, sure, he kills a lot of people, so he can't be that safe to be around. And he seems a little cracked to think that he is going to be able to kill 30 hunters without help. But he also dismantled each and every hunter he came across like a fucking doctor. And he saved me when he didn't have to, so I really don't know. I guess I'm going to reserve judgment on him for a while."

When she finished, she looked into Joel's eyes and saw something that looked like concern mixed with pride. After a moment, he spoke.

"You're right about everything Ellie, and doing exactly what I am doing." At this point he smiled at her, like a father who's daughter had done something very good. He was pleased at her good judgement on the man, and how she was not immediately making a decision on him. However, his smile slid off his face when he continued to speak.

"But I do need to tell you something. Men like Wolf, who kill just because they want to, they are obviously dangerous. But it's not just that they might kill you right away. Sometimes they get to know you and get you to trust them, then they hit you. And sometimes it's not them at all, but the trouble that they had before they met you catching up with them. And this guy, I don't know. He seems like he just doesn't care about anything except killing. I know he has that code or whatever, but believe me when I tell you that people like that can change in an instant. We need to be ready."

They looked into each other's eyes and understood exactly what the conversation had become. They would watch Wolf closely, and at the first sign of betrayal, end him.

The moment was broken by gunshots coming from the forest.

Joel and Ellie's reaction was simultaneous as they fell to the ground with rifles at the ready, watching the forest just beyond the meadow like hawks. For a few minutes, there was nothing except more gunshots. Just when Ellie was starting to wonder if she should go check it out, Wolf burst through the trees into both of their scopes, tripped, and fell right into the long dead grass of the meadow. He was breathing heavily, and looked as if he had run for miles. He immediately leapt up and ran, hauling ass to the single rock at the end of the meadow and stripping off his hoody along the way, letting it fall into the waste high dead grass.

He reached the relative safety of the rock just as the hunters appeared from the forest. They stormed the meadow like a football team did during a bowl game. They seemed to keep coming out of the forest, and Ellie had no doubt that they were at least 30 strong, just like Wolf said they would be. They stormed into the middle of the field, then stopped and aimed at the rock, some laying on their bellies with rifles, some kneeled with shotguns, some standing with pistols, and a whole lot of others seeming to relish the fact that the game was over and just stood yelling at Wolf to come out.

After a few moments of commotion, the man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward from the crowd. Judging from the blood soaked jeans, the shirtless torso with dried blood caked on it, and the animistic expression man wore, he looked like he had been out of civilization for too long and had turned feral. Ellie had no doubt of what would happen to Wolf (and them) if he was caught.

The leader of the bandits started to yell. "Alright you bastard, we got ya cornered. Come out, and you won't suffer. Much." He spoke the last word with a chuckle, and most of the hunters joined him. Ellie sighted in on the leader's chest, ready to drop him.

What she saw next shocked her.

Wolf, from behind the rock, produced a stick about a yard long with a white pillowcase tied to the end, still the universal sign of surrender, and started to wave it. The leader seemed enjoy this, and told his troops not to fire yet, and to let Wolf come out.

Wolf edged himself around the rock, ready to jump behind it at any moment. The hunters, however, held their fire. They wanted to hear the boogie man speak before they iced him.

As Wolf faced the small army, there was no fear in his body movements, even though he was looking death in the face. Ellie watched him with one eye while the other focused in the scope on the leader.

"So, the monster finally reveals himself." The leader was positively oozing with arrogance and pride, delighted that they had finally caught their boogie man. "I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed. I figured you would be all hairy with big claws! Please make this good, and I mean really good. I really want to hear how you beg after killing 12 of my people."

Wolf seemed to wait for a moment to speak, seeming to choose his words carefully. His mask, unseen to Ellie, was glowing almost gold from the sunlight. It was almost 2 o'clock, and the sun was high in the sky and unblocked by clouds, casting its rays down onto the meadow. As the hunters, Ellie, and Joel watched, Wolf reached into his back pocket, slowly, and produced a lighter. He still had not spoken when he lit the makeshift flag on fire. He held it in the air until it was half way burned. Then he looked at the hunters and said a very simple sentence that really did not capture the gravity of the situation at all.

"Welcome to hell, assholes."

With that, he threw the flag into the air, towards the hunters and dived behind the rock. The hunters could do nothing but watch the peace instrument turned weapon sail flames first into the grass, lighting the gasoline that Wolf had painstakingly poured all over the field that morning. It was then that they knew that they were dead, and some started to run away. Fire that is being fed by dead grass and gas, however, can out run an Olympic sprinter, and soon enclosed them in flames.

That wasn't all, however. Ellie watched with a strange sense of awe as two lines of fire went into the square inferno, as if they had been poured intentionally. At the end of the lines, no one but Wolf knew were two coffee cans full of gunpowder, nails, and spent bullet casings. The gun powder he had collected from the bullets from the guns of the hunters he had killed. When the cans met the fire, the result was an explosion of the most deadly type. Both bombs had been strategically placed so that the fire and shrapnel would hit the maximum number of people, and it worked like a charm. When it exploded, the hunter's went down in scores. Those that hadn't died from the shrapnel were concussed and knocked senseless from the blast, powerless to escape the raging flames coming ever closer.

Ellie was trying to digest the fact that she was watching 30 people die in one of the worst ways imaginable. She put her scope on one man, and could swear she saw his eyes boil and pop. She glanced at Joel, and saw him watching the scene with absolute terror and disgust. Throughout all their adventures, she had never seen him with this amount of horror on his face. Even when he had gotten stabbed in Colorado, he seemed to be calmer than he appeared now. His fear made her sick, and she leaned over and threw up in the matted grass, safely away from herself.

Wolf then came from behind the rock, sat down on it, and simply watched his handy work. He listened to the screams and watched as people tried to claw their way out, unknowingly rolling in more gasoline and spreading the fire around more. Their screams resonated for miles, not human anymore but something more primal and animistic in its fear. And he simply watched. He did not rejoice in their death, nor did he cry or show any sorrow.

He had just single handedly murdered 30 people at once, and now he simply sat there, watching it as if he were in a living room watching a movie.

**Holy hell that took a minute.**

**Sorry for the long update, college mixed with high school does not leave to much time to do this. Again, please review. It would really help.  
Oh, and though it is cliche, the song for this chapter is 'killing time' by Metallica, for obvious reasons :)  
And thank you to Ann, you are awesome :)**


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